A blog of the Greater Oklahoma City chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA
The name of this blog is taken from the preamble of the Charter of the United Nations (1945):
"We the Peoples of the United Nations, Determined...
to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small...."

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Priya Desai

We hope you're planning to attend our Spring Luncheon on Saturday, March 23rd. You'll have a chance to mingle with interesting people. You'll enjoy some great food provided by our friends at the Raindrop Turkish House. And, you'll learn about the "Shot at Life" Campaign during the panel discussion portion of our program.

We think you'll like hearing from our panelists. Each of them is recognized as a "Shot at Life" Champion by the United Nations Foundation.

Here's a brief biography for Priya Desai. In future articles, we'll present short bios for her co-presenters, Charles Swanson and Juliet Abdeljawad.

Priya Desai is currently our Advocacy Director for the United Nations Association of Oklahoma City. She attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman where she received her bachelor's and master's degree in social work, with a concentration in administration and community practice in 2010. She currently works in higher education and serves on the Board of Directors for the UNA's Oklahoma City chapter. Her interests include international affairs, issues affecting women and children in developing and war-torn countries as well as in the US, and advocacy.

Priya has experience in policy and research, mental health and substance abuse services, campaign management, working within a library system, and directing volunteer and community outreach efforts for domestic violence and sexual assault. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family, reading, traveling, trivia, and exploring different venues of entertainment in Oklahoma City.

She says: "One thing that particularly impacted me the most was the idea of 'the impact of one,' which essentially opens the door for involvement regardless of age, gender, and amount of effort you would like to put in. The power that one person can have in changing a child's life, is as simple as serving a voice for those that cannot speak for themselves. That, and also knowing that childhood milestones that are cherished here, should be cherished everywhere. Optimism is key factor in setting the pace for global health victories."

Shot@Life educates, connects and empowers Americans to champion vaccines as one of the most cost-effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries. A national call to action for a global cause, the campaign rallies the American public, members of Congress, and civil society partners around the fact that together, we can save a child’s life every 20 seconds by expanding access to vaccines. By encouraging Americans to learn about, advocate for, and donate to vaccines, Shot@Life aims to decrease vaccine-preventable childhood deaths and give every child a shot at a healthy life.

We hope you will choose to attend our Spring Luncheon on March 23rd. Reserve your seat with our Online Form.